DStv Head Office In Avondale Goes Green

Africa’s leading television entertainment company, DSTV, recently contracted another leading African solar energy industry player, the Harare-based Solar Energy Projects (SEP), to design and install a solar power system for their head office in Harare.

SEP matched the high-quality standards consistent with the continental broadcasting giant’s reputation. Resultantly, it birthed a spanking renewable energy-friendly head office, taking pride of place at number 20 King George Rd, Avondale.

The brief from the DSTV to SEP was that the system had to power the whole premise and the solar specialists delivered as always.

Site assessment was done to determine if it was suitable for solar panel installation. This included checking the roof’s orientation, pitch, and

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load-bearing capacity. The orientation of one part of the roof was spot on as it had been designed to face north. Installation work depends on where the roof faces and in cases where they don’t face northwards, the task can be a bit challenging putting up the necessary positioning to facilitate smoother installation. North facing roofs reduce downtime as they allow work plans to go ahead immediately.

“The location of the DSTV building naturally helped with the installation processes, as the building is in a strategic position. We found north facing roofs that allowed us to put quite a large number of panels on the roof then on the other portion we had to do ground mount structures,” explained Timothy T. Mukamba, Solar Energy Project’s Technical Support Engineer.

The engineering and design of the solar system were then followed to meet the specific needs of DSTV. This included determining the number and size of solar panels, as well as the type of mounting system. Once the design was complete, the solar equipment was ordered and included the solar panels, mounting system, inverter, and electrical wiring. “The design and installation of the project happened in several stages. The first thing during our design is site assessment and data logging. At this stage, we gather the correct information about the peak, average, and base load demand. The second step will be the data analysis and system design. At this stage, we will be analysing the obtained data and coming up with the system size then the right equipment. This is done by our engineering team. Depending on the site we then determine whether we can do roof or ground mount structures,” said Mukamba.

The solar panels were then installed and thereafter they were interconnected to the national grid. This involved connecting the solar inverter to the electrical panel at the complex. The project which is classified as commercial, involved the installation of Atess Inverter PCS 250kw, MPPT Charger PBD 250kw, Jinko solar panels, Freedom won battery HV 300kw, and Bypass cabinet. A special inverter room lockable and airconditioned was built to house the equipment.

Testing and commissioning of the solar system were then carried out to ensure its efficiency.

SEP worked with subcontractors who helped with installation under their supervision before they commission the system. This gives them more time to execute a lot of projects efficiently, at once without hiccups on manpower.

Mukamba explained that the purpose of the solar system is to power all equipment for the whole premise. The aim is to reduce electricity bills with the future provision of net metering.

He highlighted that working on the project “was a bit easy due to the power of experience.”

“Also it’s the closest site we ever done which was an advantage to us. Key design elements of the project were peak load, average load, and the backup time needed. With our equipment, we managed to curb the total load, and the backup time is aided by generator automatic start synchronisation.”

The medium scale commercial project has an output of 0.25 megawatts. A surplus output of approximately 60kw will be generated to supply the national grid, and that amount is realised when charging and more when the battery is full.

Completion of this project is important to SEP as it is yet another great way to market the company. It is also a milestone in the company’s growth.